Belt covering machine



Dec. 25, 1951 o. F. HOMEIER ETAL BELT COVERING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 23, 1948 ATTORNEY 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS 0770 E f/O/Vf/EA BY A 00/6 J'Y/f/B ATTORNEY O. F. HOMEIER EI'AL BELT COVERING MACHINE Dec. 25, 1951 Filed March 23. 1948 Dec.-25, 1951 o. F. HOMEIER ETAL BELT COVERING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 23, 1948 F m M E 7 mKH N W 4/, MM W m Mia T fiwwv A m M 7 0 Y B Dec. 25, 1951 0. F. HOM-EIER ETAL BELT COVERING MACHINE Filed March 25, 1948 6 Sheds-Sheet 4 IN V EN T 0R8 BY-QJNZI y/j ATTORNEY Dec. 25, 1951 o. F. HOIMEIER ETAL 2,579,822

BELT COVERING MACHINE Filed March 23, 1948 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 37 Mi A37 /r97 4, a

INVENTORS' 0770 F. HOME/ER Lad/J w cwf/a BY w 01mm ATTORNEY Dec. 25, 1951 o. F. HQMEIER EI'AL' BELT COVERING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed March 25, 1948 1' W JJ Patented Dec. 25, 1951 BELT COVERIN G MACHINE Otto F. Homeier, Baldwin, and Louis Scheib, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignors to United States Rubber Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application March 23, 1948, Serial No. 16,476

29 Claims.

The present invention relates to a belt covering machine and more particularly to apparatus for applying one or more covering jackets to a belt.

One object of the invention is to provide a new and improved machine for building belts of varying lengths and in which the cross-sectional dimensions of the belts may be varied at will in the use of the machine and also the number and arrangement of the covering jackets.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine for assembling one or more plies of rubberized fabric, or the like, as a covering or jacket for a belt carcass the plies being applied under substantially uniform tension to produce a uniform high quality product.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a belt covering machine which operates at high speed, which is so constructed as to permit easy loading and unloading of the belts and which guides and supports the belt during the covering operation.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a belt covering machine which automatically and continuously feeds the jacketing' material to the belts as they are mounted on the machine.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a front view of a machine constructed in accordance with the invention with a portion of the lefthand side of the machine omitted; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the complete machine; Fig. 3 is an end view of the machine; Fig. 4 is a view of part of the machine in belt loading position; Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4 showing the position of the parts during the belt loading operation; Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing the position of the parts during the belt coverin operation; Fip. 7 is a sectional view through one of the belt mounting pulleys taken along the line 7-4 of Fig. 2; Fig. 8 is a view of part of the belt jacket drive mechanism; Fig. 9 is another view of a portion of the jacket drive mechanism taken substantially along the line t-9 of Fig. 8; Fig. 10 is a sectional view of one form of belt which may be covered by the machine of the instant invention; Fig. ll is an enlarged view of part of the jacket foldingmechanism; Fig. 12 is an end view of part of the mechanism of Fig. 11; and Fig. 13 is a plan view of part of the folding mechanism of ll.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 10 represents a sectional view through a belt which comprises a carcass 2 of rubbercompound and cord plies, the carcass being covered by one or more jackets 3 of rubberized fabric, orthe like. In manufac i and motor I! (Fig. l).

ture, the carcass 2 is built up on a drum either in a long length or as an endless belt. The jackets are then wrapped longitudinally along the length of the belt and it is to a machine for applying the jacket that the present invention relates. Manifestly, the cross-sectional dimensions and contour of the belt may be varied at will. The machine is useful in covering rectangular belts as well as the well-known V-belts.

rhe machine, as shown in Fig. 1, includes a frame 4 provided withg a plate 5 and a panel 6 for supporting the operative parts of the machine. A carcass 2, in this case an endles belt, is mounted between a driving pulley 'l and a driven pulley 8. When the pulley l is rotated the belt is driven in a clockwise direction between the two pulleys so that the jacket may be applied along the length of the belt as it rotates. The pulley l is fastened to a shaft 9 (Fig. 3) journaled in a bearing housing it mounted on the panel 6. A universal coupling I i connects the shaft 9 with a conventional gear box l2. In turn, the gear box is driven by a transmission system which include a clutch l3 (Fig. 2), sheave l4, V-belt l5, a driving sheave Hi The motor is controlled by the usual starter l8. In order to drive the pulley 'l the clutch mechanism 13 is engaged by means of a linkage which includes a foot-pedal i9, pivoted to one end of a rod 20 (Fig. 2) carried in spaced bearings 2|; the other end of the rod carries an arm 22 secured by a link 23 to an arm 24 forming part of a clutch operating yoke 25. The yoke 25 pivots in bearings 26 and thrusts the two faces of the clutch mechanism l3 into engagement with each other so that the gear mechanism I2 is operated by the drive motor ll. A spring 2'! (Fig. 3) biases the foot-pedal I9 to inoperative position. To drive the belt the operator simply steps on the foot pedal.

In order to mount the belt on the two pulleys, the pulleys and 8 are movable relative to each other. To this end, the pulley 8 is mounted so that it can be moved toward and away from the pulley I. It is mounted on a bracket 28 carried by a slide bar 29 movable on spaced guides 30. The left-hand guide is carried by a supporting arm 3| extending outwardly from the left-hand side of the machine, as shown in Fig. 2. To move the slide bar 29 and pulley 8 relative to the pulley l, the bar is provided with a pin 32 extending through a guide slot 33 in the arm 3| into a block 34 and pad 35 which slide along the arm; a piston rod 36 extending from an air cylinder 31 is fastened to the block 34 and serves to move the pulley 8. It should be noted that the piston'rod 36 has a lost motion connection with the block 34 due to a pin 38 in the block extending through a slot 39 in the piston rod; a coiled compression spring 40 surrounds the piston rod and is compressed between the block 34 and a shoulder ii on the rod. The purposes of the lost motion connection are to cushion the shock applied to the belt when the pulleys separate and also to control the tension applied to the belt. The latter result is attained chiefly by means of the spring 49 since the movement of the piston rod is so controlled in conjunction with the length of belt being covered as to compress the spring t when the belt is extended. If desired, the lost motion connection may be omitted and a conventional cushioned cylinder substituted for the cylinder 37. Compressed air is fed to cylinder 31 through a supply line 4| under control of a hand valve 42 (Fig. 1).

Not. only is the pulley 8 moved relatively to pulley l to mount and tension the belt, but a separate adjustment of the pulley 8 is provided for to accommodate various lengths of belts. To this end, the bracket 28' may be movedalong the length of the slide bar 29 to a position depending upon the length of the belt; a tightening screw 43 is carried by the-bracket and is used to lock it in position on the slide bar.

Since the pulley i has a knurled fiat surface on which the belt travels, the pulley 8 is grooved to keep the belt in alignment with the two pulleys. In addition, the groove in the pulley 8 may be adjusted to accommodate various widths of belts. Referring to Fig. '7, the bracket 28 is provided with an outwardly extending spindle 44 carrying a roller 45 mounted on spaced bearings cs. Opposite sides of the roller are provided with flanges 41 which are threaded in opposite directions. Two rim discs 48 are threaded onto the flanges 41. Each rim disc is provided with an inclined or bevelled surface 49 which forms with the outer edge of the roller 45 the groove in which the belt rides. A locking pin 56 extends through the discs and roller to hold the rim discs 48 in position. When it is desired to move the rim discs 48 to accommodate a difierent size belt, the pin 56 is removed and the discs held in the hand while the roller 45 is rotated by means of a handle l. Because of the oppositely threaded flanges 47 the discs are thereby moved toward or away from each other, as the case may be. When the discs are in proper position, the locking pin is inserted to hold the parts in adjusted relationship.

.As a further means of guiding the belt over the surface of pulley 7, guide rollers 52 are carried by arms 53 and engage opposite sides of the belt to center it over the pulley. The arms are pivoted to a bracket 54 fastened to panel 6 and are biased toward each other by a spring 55. A set screw 56 limits the travel of the arms so that a belt may be easily inserted between them.

When initially placed in position on the pulleys the belt is slightly tensioned by a roller 5 riding on the inner surfaceof the belt. The roller is carried onanarm 58 fastenedto shaft 59 extending through a bearing 60 in the panel 6; The inner'end of the shaft carries a tongue cl. Opposite ends of a tension spring 82 are fastened to the tongue 61 and panel 6 to bias the arm 58 and roller 5? against the belt. The purpose of the tensioning roller 51 is to prevent the belt' from slipping off the pulleys before it is e'z'rtended'under full tension during'the covering operation.

,uponthe size of the belt carcass.

usually. is formed of bias cut fabric, such as cot- A ton, rayon, or the like, and is coated with a suit able rubber compound or other adhesive to insure a good bond with the belt carcass The supply of sheet materialis coiled in a roll 63c and is fed off as needed to the belt by a mechanism to be described later. Manifestly, any number of plies may be applied to the belt carcass depending upon the required jacket thickness. The width of the ply E3 varies depending The application of the jacket ply to the belt carcass is begun at a point adjacent the wheel 1 by mechanism now to be described.

. adapted initially to place the jacket against the to be covered with a jacket which comprises one or more plies of 'sheet'material'63. This material belt carcass. The guide roller is mounted for rotation on a shaft and includes two spaced disc rollers 66 and an internal roller Bl; the disc rollers 66 are also movable longitudinally along the shaft. Compression coiled springs 63 are mounted on shaft 65, one end of each spring resting against the corresponding disc roller 66 and the other end abutting a stopnut 69. In this way the disc rollers 65 are biased toward each other in, a manner such that they serve lightly to grip each side of the belt. In order to position the belt within the guide roller 64, the roller is movable toward and away from the belt and means is provided to spread the disc rollers '56 so that the belt carcass will drop into proper position. To this. end, the shaft 65 is fastened to an arm it which, in turn, is secured to'a shaft H rotating in a bearing 12 on panel 8. As the guide roller '54 movesdownwardly, looking at Fig. 1, it engages a separating cam 13 which acts on the disc rollers 66 to'separate them, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Cam 13 is secured to a post l4 extending from panel 6. When loading av belt carcass on the machine, the guide roller 64 is moved to separated position by means of an air cylinder 15 the operation of which is controlled by the hand valve 42. The air cylinder is connected to the guide roller by means of a linkage which includes the shaft H, a lever 56 fastened to the inner end of the shaft, an arm l1 pivoted to the lever and a pin 18, and a sliding arm 19 extending between pin i8 and the air cylinder #5. When the machine is in belt loading position, the guide roller 64 is in'engagement with the cam 13 and is away'from the pulley I. This provides room for easily mounting the belt on the pulleys l and 8. When control valve 42 is operated to energize the air cylinder'lfi, the guide roller is moved toward the pulley I. As it moves, the belt carcass is positioned between the separated disc rollers 66 so that as the rollers leave the cam 13 the springs 68 force them into engagement with the opposite side edges of the belt, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 5. Further movement of the guide roller helps to position the belt against the surface of pulley l, as shown in Fig. 6. At the time that air cylinder is energized to move the guide roller 54 in the manner indicated, the air cylinder 31 is likewise energized to separate the pulleys 8 and i so the belt carcass is tensioned on the pulleys preparatory to applying the jacket. The jacket 63 is applied by rotating the belt.

Initially, the jacket is moved to a position such that the severed end engages the outer surface of the belt. As the belt moves, it drags the jacket by friction into engagement with the guide roller 64 which performs the first folding operation on the jacket. As shown in Fig. 6, the jacket is held against the outer face of'the belt carcass and the side edges folded substantially at right angles around opposite faces of the carcass. It should be noted that the guide wheel does not stitch the jacket to the side faces of the belt. To assist in folding the jacket, the disc rollers 66 are each provided with a bevelled surface 88.

The jacket is further folded and stitched around the belt carcass by mechanism which includes stitching rollers 8| and 82 and flipper wheels 83 and 84. As shown in Figs. 11, 12 and 13, each of the rollers 8| and 82 is mounted to rotate on a pin 85 fastened to a block 88 which, in turn, is slidably mounted on a bar 81. The bar 81 is secured to a supporting block 88 carried by the panel 8. An adjusting screw 89 threaded into bar 81 makes it possible to move the block 88, and with it the roller 8| or 82 toward and away from the panel. The adjustment is made to accommodate belts of varying widths. To accommodate belts of different thicknesses, the rollers 8| and 82 slide on the pins 85 against the action of compression springs 98 assembled around the pins.

. which stitches the jacket to one side of the belt,

they pass beneath one of the flipper wheels which serves to stitch the corresponding edge of the jacket down onto the inner face of the belt. Each of the flipper wheels 83 and 84 is formed with a conical surface and is carried on a stem 92 rotatable in a bearing block 93. In addition, the stem may be moved axially of the bearing, it being held in extended position by a compression spring 84 located on the stem between the corresponding bearing and flipper wheel. Each hearing block 83 is fastened to a supporting bar 95 extending from the block 88 on panel 6. A slot 98 in the bar and fastening pin 91 provide for movement of the flipper wheel toward and away from the panel, during initial adjustment of the machine. It is not necessary to adjust the positions of the flipper wheels to accommodate small differences in belt sizes because the flipper wheels are of large enough area to engage the edges of the jacket at all times. It should be noted that the bearing blocks 93 are disposed at angles extending away from opposite sides of a plumb line; the angle is determined by the amount of angle built into the conical surfaces of the flipper wheels. In each case the angle is such that the surface of the conical flipper wheel wipes flat on the surfaces of the belt carcass and jacket as they pass beneath the wheel. This means that after the jacket is folded around the side of the belt by the stitching roller 8|, for example, it is then stitched down tightly on the inner fiat surface of the carcass by the flipper wheel 83. The flipper wheel gives a wiping action across the face of the belt so that the jacket is pulled tightly around the belt. Since the stitching rollers and flipping wheels are arranged to operate on opposite sides of the belt, the jacket is wrapped completely around the belt as it passes beneath these elements.

The effect produced by the stitching roller and flip-ping wheel in folding the jacket on one side or the other of the belt is to tend to force the belt out of a straight course of travel due to the forces exerted on the jacket during the folding operation. To overcome this and to keep the belt in a straight line during application of the jacket the machin is provided with guide rollers which maintain the belt in position and take up the forces imposed on the belt. 4

Such guide rollers are carried by a support 98 which is movable toward and. away from the stitching rollers and flipping wheels. As shown by Figs. 11 and 13, the support includes spaced frame members 99 which carry laterally extending pins I88 and |8|. One end of an arm I82 pivotally mounted on pin I8I and the other end is pivoted to a shaft I 83 extending from the panel 6 (Fig. 1). Similarly, a second arm I84 is pivoted to pin I88 at one end while its other end. is fastened to a shaft I85 pivotally mounted in the panel. Shaft I85 extends through the panel and carries a lever I88 the outer end of which is pivoted to pin I8 in the linkage connected to air cylinder 15. When the air cylinder moves the linkage to the right, in Figs. 1 and 4, the arm I84 is rotated in a clockwise direction to elevate the support 98 at the same time that the guide roller 64 is elevated. The effect is to force the belt carcass into engagement with the stitching rollers and flipping wheels so that the jacket can be applied. By making the support 88 retractible, it is easy to mount the belt in position on pulleys I and 8 so that it hangs directly beneath the guide rollers 8| and 82 and the flipper wheels 83 and 84.

As shown in Figs. 11 and 13, the pin I88 carries a supporting roller I8! over which the belt travels and which provides a bearing surface against which the downward thrust of the flipper wheel 84 acts. In addition, pin I88 carries a block I88 which, in turn, supports a guide roller I89 acting against the side of the belt and supporting the belt against the sidewise thrust developed by the flipper wheel 84. In similar fashion the pin |8| carries a supporting roller H8 and a guide roller III cooperating with the flipping wheel 83. The rollers III and I89 cooperate with opposite sides of the belt and the roller I I I is provided with a bevelled surface II2 to facilitate seating of the belt carcass in position. To support the belt between the guide roller 64 and the first flipper wheel 83, the support 98 carries a roller 3 mounted on a pin ||4 extending from the frame members 99; in addition, the pin carries a bracket I I5 supporting a roller I I6 having a bevelled face and which cooperates with the side of the belt opposite the stitching roller 8|. The support 98 is also provided with an additional roller I I! over which the belt travels and which is located between the flipping wheels; it rotates on a pin 8 extending from frame members 99. When the support is elevated by the air cylinder the belt carcass is positioned between the rollers and wheels in the manner illustrated by Fig. 1. Thereafter, as the belt travels along the support the jacket is folded around and stitched to the belt in the manner already described.

A conveyor H8 is provided for feeding the jacket to the belt. In the form of the invention illustrated the conveyor is driven by frictional engagement with the belt although it should be manifest that a separate power drive may be used if desired. A bracket H9 is pivoted to panel 8 by a pin I28; the bracket carries a frame |2I having extensible end members I22 which, in turn, carry rollers I23 pivoted on bearings I24. A conveyor belt I25 is wrapped around the rollers I23; the belt may be properly tensioned on the rollers by moving the end members outwardly by means of the pin and slot connection I26. A weight in the form of a roller I21 carried by arm I28 pivoted to the bracket at I28 serves to hold the jacket in good frictional envthelever I36. cylinder I33 "provided with spacing discs I39 attests 7 gagementwith the "conveyor "belt. A guide 'roller I30 also serves to keep'the jacket position'on the conveyor belt'ju'st before it reaches the belt carcass. Roller I33 is carried by a finger I3! adjustable in a clamp I 32 fastened to the bracket H9. The forward end of the conveyor is so located that the conveyor belt. I25 frictionaliy engages the belt carcass. As the belt carcass is rotated by pulley I the conveyor belt =I25 is driven by friction to feed the jacket 63 to the belt being covered. "It should be noted that any tensionappearing in thejacket ply 63, as it is removed from the-source of supply, has a-te'ndencyto tip the conveyor about the pivot I23 so 7 that'the conveyorb'elt is more tightlypre'sse'd 'against'the rotating belt carcass. In this way slippagebetween the conveyor belt and belt carcass is greatly reduced providing for accurate feeding of the jacket. When the machine is in position to load the belt carcass, the conveyor is tipped away from the pulley "I, in the manner shown by Fig. 4. To accomplish this, the conveyor is provided with an extending arm I33 which is engaged by theguide roller 53 as the latter 'is moved away fromthe pulley l by actuation of air cylinder 75. 'Theconveyor' pivots about pin I26 and returns to normal position as soon as theguide roller moves the belt carcass into position.

Upon completion of the wrapping operation the conveyor is tipped'away from engagement with the belt as'the'guide roller moves downwardly.

In'some instances it is desirable to provide a separate take-on: mechanism for feeding the jacket'plyto the conveyor. This is particularly desirable if the ply fabric is rolled up without a liner separating the layers so that a considerable amount of force is required to unwind' it from the supply roll. Moreover, if a take-offdate different width plies.

Referring to Fig. 9, the roller I35 comprises a stem I36 journalled in bearings I3? carried by The stem is fitted into a hollow which are prevented from rotating by keys I46 sliding in slots MI in the cylinder. A cap I42 closesthe end of the cylinder and an adjusting screw I 33 having reverse threads extends through the discs I39. By rotating the screw I 13 the discs I39 are moved toward or away from each other to accommodate various width plies. Asshown in Fig. 3, the guide rollers I33 andIM are mounted in bearings I35 and I45, respectively, fastened to the frame 4.

In thecase of the guide roller I33, a separate adjustment is provided for controlling-the direction of movement of the jacket (Fig. 3). To this end, the'bearing I55 is mounted on a pin I45 carried by frame the bearing can be moved toward and away from the frame by means of a set-screw I46 In addition, the bearing may be tilted about the pin by a second set-screw I IIS threaded into a stud I35 carried by the frame 'anda projection I35 on the-bearing; the result -isthat 1 the guide roll can be I tilted slightly, as

8 indicated by "the arrow in Fig. .13 *to control 1 the direction of jacket-travel.

Referring to Fig. 3,- power'is supplied toxthe take-off mechanism from the gear box I2-by means of'a sprocket wheel I46, chain I5! and sprocket wheel I43 of agear train I451. .The gear=train includes two meshing gears .;I and I=5I which are connected to one face of arclutch mechanism I52. The purposeof-the geartrain is "to reverse the direction of rotation of'the clutchwith respectto the gear mechanism I2. The other face of the-clutch is connected to the take-off mechanism. As shown in Fig. 1, .the jacket ply 63 passes from the roll 63* beneathxa driven roller I53 and then over-.onidler roller I54 .to the roller I35 on the clutch operatin arm. The rollers I53 and I5 I are provided :with

'ply guiding discs I39 and are similar in construction to the roller "I35 :already .described.

During operation of the machine the iacket' ply is held in position against the drive roller I53 by a pressure roller I55 carried by an arm I56 pivoted to the frame; A spring I5! biases the roller I55 into position.

As shown in Fig. 9, the drive roller I53 is connected to the other faceofthe clutch mechanism by means of a stem I58 keyed to the clutch as indicated at I59 and. rotatable in spaced bearings I60 carried in a ,housing I6 I. The housing is fastened to-a plate 4 carried by the aforementioned frame and; serves as-a bearing for a sleeve I62 formedlat one end ofthe lever I33. In this way the lever pivots on the-housing I6I. The sleeve itself is formed with a plurality of bevelled teeth I63 (Fig. 8) which mate with corresponding teeth in a bearing plate 164 rotatable on stem I58. A thrust bearing I65 is located between the plate and the clutch mechanism. 'The arrangement is 'such thatas the lever I33 is pulled upwardly the action of the bevelled teeth I33 force the plate I65 and the clutch face to slide on the stem I58 to engage the clutch. This drives'the roller I53 at a speed which is synchronized with the speed at which the belt carcass 2 is rotating so that'the proper amount of jacketing material is removed'from the roll 63*.

The roll 63 of jacket stock is carried ona pulley I63 supported from an arm 16? which swings from a pivot I68 in frame-fi In the event that'liner material, indicated at I59, .is utilized to separate adjacent plieson the roll 63 separate means is "provided to wind up the liner and separate it from' the jacket" ply.

The lineris fed to a take-up capstan which includes a spool I II floating in a bracket I12." The liner material is wound around the spool III which rests on two friction drive rollers H3 and I'M. 'As the thickness ofthe-roll of liner material increases, 'the'spool III is raised in slots I15 in'the bracket I72. 'Toothed wheels H6 on opposite ends of spool I'II maintain the-spool level by climbing in racks III formed in the Walls of the slots. v

V In orderto drive'the rollers I13 and I14, the clutch mechanism is 'providedwith a sprocket wheel I18 me'shing witha'chain I19 whichengages a gear I 36 fastened to a shaft IBI on which the drive roller I13 is mounted. The shaft rotates In order to rotate thedrive roller Il l inthe-same direction as the roller II3,the shaft 'I3I is provided with asprocket wheel I83 which engages -a drive chain I84, the chain; in turn, meshing with a sproc'ket'wheel I85 carried. on the shaft I86which. supportsitheldrive. roller ;I.I4.1 1'Ihe' shaft I86 rotates in a bearing I8! supported on the plate M (Fig. 3). The arrangement is such that when the drive roller I53 is driven by engagement of the clutch I52, the guide rollers lit and I It are likewise driven at a related constant speed so that the roll of liner material built'up on the spool III will be rotated at sufficient speed to take up any slack in the material being removed from the supply roll 53. A separating bracket I88 is located between the guide roll I54 and the guide rollers I13 and 274 to separate the jacket ply 63 and the liner material I69 particularly when the machine is being loaded.

In operating the machine, a belt carcass 2 is looped over the tension roller 51 and then mounted on the pulleys I and 8 in position to be cov ered with the jacket material 63. Inasmuch as the support 98 is at its lowest position spaced away from the stitching rollers 8| and 82, and the flipper wheels 83 and 84, the belt may be easily mounted in position beneath these elements, as shown in Fig. 4. The operator now turns valve 42 to admit air to the cylinders 31 and I5. This moves the pulley 8 away from the pulley 'I and tensions the belt about the pulleys and, at the same time, the support 93 is moved toward the stitching rollers and flipper wheels so that the belt is forced against them, in the position shown by Fig. 1. Simultaneously, the guide roller 64 is moved to a position such that it engages the belt, as shown in Figs. 1 and 6. By stepping on the control pedal I9, the operator now causes the drive pulley I to rotate the belt; at the same time the operator tilts the conveyor to cause it to firmly engage the belt carcass. Since the pulley with the belt carcass mounted thereon is in frictional engagement with the conveyor belt I25 the jacket ply 53 is fed to the belt and is initially applied against the belt car cass by the guide roller 54, in the manner illustrated by Fig. 6. As the belt carcass continues to rotate it carries the jacket ply 53 into engagement with the stitching rollers ill and 82, and the flipper wheels 83 and 84, which operate to fold one side of the jacket and then the other around the belt, in the manner already described.

The belt rotates quickly until it is completely covered. The operator then'releases the foot pedal to stop the machine and the jacket ply 63 is severed at a point adjacent the drive pulley I. However, if it is desired to apply more than one ply of the jacket material to the belt the operator simply continues rotation of the belt until sufficient of the jacket material has been applied over the first ply to form the second. As the strip of jacket material 63 is pulled along by the conveyor H8 it raises the control arm I36 to engage the clutch mechanism 552 so that the take-off drive roll I53 is driven to remove the jacket material from the supply roll 54. At the same time, guide rollers [73 and I'M rotate to wind up the liner I59 on the roller 5 It The machine is easy to load and quickly applies the jacket ply to the belt carcass under a substantially uniform tension. The cone-shaped surfaces of the flipper wheels 83 and 84 pull the jacket material tightly around the belt. It should be noted that the jacket wrapping mechanism including the arrangement of the stitching rollers and flipper wheels, together with the movable guide support 98, may be used to wrap jackets around long lengths of belt in which case separate supports are used for the belt. In the case of endless belts, the movable pulleys l and 8 supporting the belt cooperate with the wrapping mechanism by tightening the belt so that it moves upwardly against the stitching rollers and flipper wheels, at the same time that the support 98 moves upwardly, so that the various guide rollers carried by the support function to locate and maintain the belt carcass in position against the stitching rollers and flipper wheels. Although the machine has been illustrated as applying only a single ply of jacketing material it should be manifest that two plies may be applied simultaneously by feeding them into the guiding and folding mechanism. Also, when a plurality of jackets are applied to the belt carcass they may be stitched to opposite faces of the belt by applying a jacket to one face, removing the belt, turning it inside out, and then remounting it on the machine for application of the other jacket.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a machine for building belts, spaced rotatable members for supporting a belt, means including said members for moving the belt, means for feeding a jacket of sheet material to the belt as the beltmoves, stitching rollers for applying the material to opposite sides of the belt, flipper wheels for folding the edges of the material around another side of the belt in overlapping relationship and a support spaced from said stitching rollers and flipper wheels and movable into engagement with the belt to hold it and said material in engagement with said flipper wheels and stitching rollers.

2. Ina machine for building endless belts, spaced rotatable members for supporting a belt, said members being movable relative to each other to tension the belt, means for feeding a jacket of sheet material to the belt, means for folding the sheet material around the belt, a movable support adjacent to but spaced from said folding means, and interconnected means for simultaneously moving said members to tension the belt and move said support into engagement with the belt to hold the latter and jacket in engagement with said folding means.

3. In a machine for building endless belts, spaced rotatable members movable relative to each other to support and tension a belt, means for folding a jacket of sheet material around the belt, a support adjacent to but spaced from said folding means and movable into engagement with the belt and jacket, and means cooperating with the rotatable members to tension the belt and simultaneously move said support into engagement with the belt and jacket to hold the latter in engagement with the folding means.

4. In a machine for building endless belts, means for supporting and rotating a belt under tension, means for feeding a jacket of sheet material into engagement with one face of the belt and means for wrapping the material around the body of the belt comprising alternate stitching rolls and flipper wheels and a support adjacent to but spaced from wheels, said support being movable against the belt to hold the jacket and belt in engagement with the wrapping means.

5. In a machine for buildingbelts, means for supporting and moving a belt, and means for applying a jacket of sheet material to the belt as the belt moves including a movablesupport having a roller along which the belt and jacket travel, a stitching roller and associated conical flipper wheel for wrapping one side of the sheet material around the belt, a second stitching roller and associated flipper wheel for wrapping the other side of the sheet material around the belt and-means biasing the movable support" toward the stitchingrollers'.

6; Ina machine" for building" belts, means for supporting and moving a belt' carcass, means for feeding a' jacket of sheet material to the belt as" the belt moves; means'for wrapping the material around the-belt carcass including stitching trollers for applying thematerial against thecarcass, a movable support for the belt spaced from the stitching rollers and being provided with 7 guide rollers adapted to cooperate with" said stit'ching'rollers iii-applying the material to the feeding" a" jacket" of'sheet" material to the belt,

means for'wrapping; the material around'the belt carcass includingrconical flipper wheels for'applying the material against the carcass, a movable support for the belt" spaced from the flipper wheels and" being" provided with guide: rollers 7 adapted to cooperatewith said" flipper wheels in applying" the" material" to the carcass and means for moving the support" toward said wrapping mean's' toplace the belt inoperative position wit said flipperwheels and guide rollers. 8-1 'Ih abeltcoveringtmachine, means'for' supporting and moving abelt carcass, means: for feeding a jacket ofsheet material to" the belt, means for. wrapping thematerial around the belt carcass in'cludinga flipper'wlieel havinga conical surface wiping across one'f'ace of the belt carcass and means including a guide'roller engaging an adjacent face of the-belt carcass and cooperating with the' fiipper wheel to'maintain the belt in engagement therewith againstthe-thrust of the flipper" wheel as-it wipes across thebelt carcass. 9'; Ina belt covering machine, means for supporting and moving a belt carcass, means for supplying a jacket ofsheet" material to the belt, means? for wrao'pingtlie material around the belt carcass includingazstitching roller for applying onc ed'ge ofithetlmaterial'to one face of the carcass'an'd'ea flipperrwheel'having'a conical surface wiping across an adiacentfa'ce' of' the' carcass for completingz'application of the saidi edge to said adjacent: face oft the: carcass; and. means including: guiderrol-lrsi'engaging other faces of? the U811?"QZI'l'di'CO'ODBIffifiIlEWith r,'hestit'ching rollerf'and flipper "wheel to maintain-the belt in engagement therewith a ainst the? thrusts of the stitching roller and; the: flippenwlieel ass the: latter? wipes aCI'DSS'ith'eECBJYCELSS'l 1'0. Intaibeltcoverin'g machine; means for sup- 7 porting-and moving at belt carcass; means: for

supplying ZFjBICkQfiUf sheet' material tor the. belt, means for wrapping the material aro'undtheb'elt carcass including." stitching rollersv for applying opposite edgeswfthematerial to" opposite faces a or? the carcass: and fiipper 'wh'eel's' having: conical 7 carcass; said members-'beingmovable away'from each other to tension the belt, a source of: sheet material to jacket the belt, a movable guideroller having separable guiding discs for applying the sheet material to a facecf the belt carcass and folding opposite edges at an angle to said face, means for separating said guiding discs to position the belt carcass therebetween, and. means for simultaneously-moving said members tostension the belt carcass and move said guide roller into engagement with the belt carcass.

12. In abelt covering machine, means for supporting and moving. a belt carcass; means for supplying a jacket of sheet material to the-belt, a movable guide roller having'separable guiding discs, means for separating said guiding discs to position the belt carcass therebetween, and means for releasing said guiderollerfrom' said separat- 7 ing meansand moving it into engagement with the belt carcass whereby said guide roller applies the sheet material to a face of the beltcarcass and folds opposite edges of the material at. an angle to said face asthe belt moves.

13'. In a belt covering machine, meansrfor 'sum porting and moving a belt: carcass, means. for supplying a jacket of sheetmaterial to the. belt carcass, a movable? guide roller having-separable guiding discs, a cam for'separating said guiding discs for positioning the: belt carcass therebetween and means for releasing said guide roller from said cam and moving it into engagement with the belt carcass whereby said guide roller applies the sheet material to a face of the'carcass and foldsopposite edgesJat an angle tosaid face as the belt moves.

14. In a belt coveringmachine, means for supporting and moving abelt carcass, means for supplying a jacketof i sheet. material to the belt, a guide roller having separable guiding discs for receiving the belt carcass to apply the sheet material to a face of the carcass and fold opposite edges atan angle tot said face, stitching rollers for'applying said opposite edges of the material to opposite faces ofthe carcass; and: conical flipper'wheels for completingapplication of. the edges to an adjacent'faceof'the'rcarcass in overlapping relationship.

15. In a beltcoveringm'achine, means for supporting' and moving a belt carcass, means for supplyinga jacket of sheet material to the carcass, a guide roller having separable'guiding discs forreceiving' the carcass to apply the sheetfmaterialto a face of the belt carcass and fold opposite edges'at an angle to'said face, stitching rollers forapplying said oppositeedges of the material to opposite'face's' of the belt carcass, conicalFflipper wheels" for completing application of the edges to an adjacentface: of the carcass moverlappin'g relationship. and means including guide rollers engaging faces of the belt and cooperating with the. stitching rollers and flipper wheels to maintain the belt; in engagement therewith against the. thrusts; of? the stitching.:-r'ol1ers and flipper-wheels:-

'lfiirln a machine for building-n endless belts, spacedrotatable members for. supporting, abelt carcass; said. members: being 7 movable relative to each other-to. tension the belt; means for supply- .inga-jacket ofsheet material tothecarcass, a

movableguide' roller. having. separable guiding discs means for separating saidguiding. discs to position. the carcass therebetweem means for simultaneously. moving said. members to tension the'ibelt andmovasaidguide roller into engagementzwith. thecarcass? so. that upon. movement of the belt the guide roller applies the sheet material to a face of the carcass and folds opposite edges at an angle to said face, stitching rollers for applying said opposite edges of the material to opposite faces of the carcass and flipper wheels for completing application of the edges to an adjacent face of the carcass in overlapping relationship.

17. In a machine for building endless belts, spaced rotatable members for supporting a belt carcass, said members being movable relative to each other to tension the carcass, means for supplying a jacket of sheet material to the belt. a movab e guide roller having separable guidin discs, means for separating said guiding discs to position the belt therebetween, means for simultaneously moving said members to tension the belt and move said gu de roller into engagement with the carcass to apply the sheet material to a face of the belt and fold opposite edges at an angle to said face as the belt moves, stitching rollers for applying said opposite edges to opposite faces of the belt carcass, conical flipper wheels for completing application of the edges to an adjacent face of the carcass in overlapping relationship and means including guide rollers engaging other faces of the belt and cooperating with the stitching rollers and flipper wheels to maintain the belt in engagement therewith against the thrusts of the stitching rollers and flipper wheels.

18. In a machine for building endless belts, spaced rotatable members for supporting a belt carcass, said members being movable relative to each other to tension the carcass, means for supplying a jacket of sheet material to the belt carcass, a movable guide roller having separable guiding discs for positioning the carcass therebetween, said guide roller being adapted to apply the sheet material to a face of the carcass and fold opposite edges at an angle to said face as the belt moves, stitching rollers for applying said opposite edges of the material to opposite faces of the carcass, flipper wheels for completing application of the edges to an adjacent face of the carcass in overlapping relationship, a movable support spaced from the flipper wheels and carrying guide rolls adapted to cooperate with the flipper wheels and stitching rollers to maintain the belt in position against the thrusts thereof, and means for simultaneously moving said members to tension the belt, moving said guide roller into engagement with the belt and moving said support to position the guide rolls in cooperation with said stitching rollers and flipper wheels.

19. In a machine for building endless belts, spaced rotatable members for supporting a belt carcass, said members being movable relative to each other to tension the carcass, means for supplying a jacket of sheet material to the belt car cass, a guide roller for applying the sheet material to a face of the carcass and folding opposite edges at an angle to said face as the belt moves, stitching rollers for applying said opposite edges of the material to opposite faces of the carcass, flipper wheels for completing application of the edges to an adjacent face of the carcass in overlapping relationship, a movable support for the belt spaced from the flipper wheels and carrying guide means adapted to cooperate with the flipper wheels and stitching rollers to maintain the belt in position against the thrusts thereof, and means for simultaneously moving said members to tension the belt and to move said support into ongagement with the belt carcass to hold it in engagement with the stitching rollers and flipper wheels.

20. In a machine for building endless belts, spaced rotatable members for supporting a belt carcass, said members being movable relative to each other to tension the carcass, means for supplying a jacket of sheet material to the belt carcass, a movable guide roller having separable guiding discs for positioning the carcass therebetween, said guide roller being adapted to apply the sheet material to a face of the carcass and fold opposite edges at an angle to said face as the belt moves, means for completely folding the sheet material around the belt carcass, a movable support adjacent to but spaced from said folding means and means for simultaneously moving said members to tension the belt, moving said guide roller into engagement with the belt and moving said support into engagement with the belt to hold the latter and jacket in engagement with said folding means.

21. In a machine for building endless belts, spaced rotatable members for supporting a belt, said members being movable relative to each other to tension the belt, means including a conveyor for feeding a jacket of sheet material to the belt, means for folding the sheet material around the belt, a movable support adjacent to but spaced from said folding means, and means for simultaneously moving said members to tension the belt and move said support into engagement with the belt to hold the latter and jacket in engagement with said folding means.

22. In a belt covering machine, means for supporting and moving a belt carcass, mean-s including an endless belt type conveyor for feeding a jacket of sheet material to the belt, a guide roller for applying the sheet material to a face of the belt carcass and folding opposite edges at an angle to said face, stitching rollers for applying opposite edges to opposite faces of the belt carcass and flipper wheels for completing application of the edges to an adjacent face of the carcass in overlapping relationship.

23. In a belt covering machine, means for supporting and moving a belt carcass, means including an endless belt type conveyor driven by movement of the belt carcass for feeding a jacket of sheet material to the belt, and means for folding the sheet material around, the belt.

24. In a belt covering machine, means for supporting and moving a belt carcass, means including a conveyor driven by movement of the belt carcass for feeding a jacket of sheet material to the belt, means responsive to tension in the sheet material for removing the latter from a supply roll and feeding it to said conveyor, and means for folding the sheet material around the belt.

25. In a belt covering machine, means for supporting and moving a belt carcass, means including an endless belt type conveyor driven by movement of the belt carcass for feeding a jacket of sheet material to the belt, a movable guide roller for applying the sheet material to a face of the belt carcass and folding opposite edges at an angle to said face, means for completely folding the sheet material around the belt, and means responsive to movement of said guide roller for controlling operation of said conveyor.

26. In a belt covering machine, means for supporting and moving a belt carcass, a pivotally mounted belt conveyor for pivoting into engagement with the belt carcass whereby said conveyor belt feeds a jacket of sheet material to the belt carcass upon movement of the carcass, and

means: rm tipping; the conveyor: outnofi engage ment with the belt carcass.

2'7? lnia belt covering machine=,,means for supporting; and: moving a. belt carcass, means for. feedingiajacket of sheet materialto the belticar cass, means responsive to tension in the sheet material for'removingla length oimaterialfroma supply r011; having liner material between adjacent windings, a take-up" mechanism for the liner: material, and 2 means? for folding, the sheet material around thebelt carcass as thebelt moves;

28; Ina belt covering machine; means for supjcass means operated by a control arm engaging the: sheetematerial and including a drive roller case; meansv operated by a controlarm engaging,

tl'iezsheetv material and including a drive roller for removinga lengthof material from a supply roll having liner material between adjacent- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in'the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 7 Number Name Date 71,747,856 1 Burkley et'al. Feb. 18, 1930 1,827,67 l- Shively Oct; 13, 1931 1,888,356 Mayne Nov. 22, 1932 1,924,067 Gerstenslagen e Aug. 22, 1933 2,409, 974 Breth et a1. Oct. 22, 1946 

